


physics and the principle of things

by derseroyalty



Category: Banana Bus Squad
Genre: M/M, SHOUTOUT TO THE FAKE AH CREW, enjoy this dumbass fic that I just wanted to put stupid metaphors in, got really fuckin busy in college lads, physics is good and it's kinda fun, sorry for absence whoops
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-03
Updated: 2019-04-03
Packaged: 2020-01-01 12:48:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18334745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/derseroyalty/pseuds/derseroyalty
Summary: Physics is the study of matter and how it moves and behaves throughout time and space. The energy behind heat, electricity, light, and magnetism can be observed and gravity is a constant.Tyler knows Evan’s magnetic pull is a bit much, but he can’t help orbiting the person that’s stayed by him throughout everything.





	physics and the principle of things

**Author's Note:**

> I’m not dead, I promise. all of my writing is on pause because I’m exhausted from college and life and I keep jumping between stories that haven’t been published and stories that’re still on-going. 
> 
> two people left a very kind comment on ‘act one scene zero’ and if you’ve noticed, I’ve shortened the chapters. I fully intend to finish it. I explain my absence from the BBS in the next chapter, which is currently being written. 
> 
> I just really wanted to publish SOMETHING. so here’s this, in honor of my favorite science subject. hope you also enjoy the references to the FAHC! love those losers with all my heart :’) 
> 
> (I also made an extra tumblr for this ao3 if anyone’s interested: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/derseroyalty)

The third Law of Motion states that for every action, there will always be an equal and opposite reaction. 

Wildcat knows this to be true because when he spots Vanoss reaching into his jacket pocket, he immediately scrambles to grab Moo and get the fuck out of there. Their small trio is very aware of what’s going to happen next, which is made evident when the warehouse full of rival gang members goes out with a _BOOM._

“Oh my god,” Moo wheezes, catching his breath from where he’s lying on the ground, surrounded by charred pieces of wood (and quite possibly the remains of the other members). “Did you actually get them?”

Wildcat’s the first up, going over to their arsonist. Vanoss’s black hair is ruffled up from the explosion and ash covers part of his face. His fingertips, at this point, are nearly permanently stained from gunpowder. He’s clutching a golden lighter in his hand and there’s an adrenaline-filled grin on his face.

“Vanoss,” Wildcat gruffly says, and Vanoss looks up at the helmet and pig mask. “Yeah?”

“Please tell me you managed to blow up this rival gang so we can take their territory over.” 

“Of course I did,” Vanoss huffs. “I’m good at my job!”

“Your only experience is burning several cop cars,” Wildcat sighs, and Moo tries not to laugh in the background as he gets up as well. “To be fair, he’s a terror to the LSPD.” 

“And I threw a Molotov Cocktail at someone’s house!” Vanoss quickly responds. “I’m good at what I do, I practice the range of some explosions and go from there!”

Wildcat just sighs again and runs a hand down his face. “I can tell, you’re both newbies.” 

Vanoss and Moo exchange a glance. They’re the first two Wildcat’s ever really teamed up with in the city of Los Santos; an arsonist and a medic. They’re both not technically vanguards but they help Wildcat to gain a name for themselves in the city and win territory. 

Wildcat has his own reasons. 

“Nothing wrong with that,” Moo reasons. “We may not be as good as you but we’re still working on it. I think we’re a good team, Wildcat. We’re gonna go far.”

Wildcat growls and looks towards the skyline of Los Santos. Sirens are faint in the distance, and the sunset is starting to turn their trio to gold. Tyler Wine looks over at the other two members of his group and quietly resolves himself to clean the dog hair off his stupid fucking couch. 

“I think so too,” he finally says. “C’mon. Let’s go home.”

* * *

The second Law of Thermodynamics states that the entropy of a system that is not in equilibrium will increase over time and eventually reach a maximum value.

Tyler knows this to be true when their little trio starts to expand, full of misfits and other fuckers that start to bring the city to its knees. 

He doesn’t think of himself as a leader, really, he’s only there if needed. The same applies to both Evan and Brock; they would rather stay in their respective spots, but when duty calls, they’ll all gladly rise to the occasion. All three have proven themselves, obviously. 

When Marcel Cunningham joins, their group gains a proper leader. Loud and fiery and full of snark, Marcel brings everyone together and brings his friend Scotty with him. 

Domino pieces start falling into place; Tyler watches as the BBS grows chaotic and explosive with their new additions. Anthony, Smitty, and Kyroz are everyone’s favorite; Nogla and Lui are a duo to be feared with how dangerous and annoying they are, while Brian is a hell of a shot and also the best to make fun of. 

They even gain Delirious; a guy who has everyone terrified of him in the first few weeks he joins. His own reputation is a bit bigger than Tyler’s but his mysterious nature adds to it. It’s only when Evan quietly confides in Tyler that he doesn’t speak because he’s legitimately scared of flubbing words in front of everyone that he calms down.

It’s honestly the funniest reason Tyler’s ever heard of in his life. 

(He ignores how Evan managed to get this info out of Delirious, and he refuses to say anything.) 

With a genuinely terrifying vanguard, Marcel brings the BBS to power and finally earns them a name in their city. Tyler learns how to hone his skills and sharpen them to perfection. He sticks nails into his baseball bat and carefully wraps it in barbed wire. 

Of course, there are the days that their equilibrium will stay constant, as it should, and the idea of entropy makes Tyler seek out their original trio. He finds comfort and solace in Brock’s soothing words and Evan’s gentle energy when he isn’t Vanoss. 

Sometime around this brand-new era, their relationships form. Like planets orbiting a system, gravity will send them colliding with each other. Brian starts to stammer and stutter around Brock and Scotty tries to be worthy of a gang boss’s significant other. 

It’s quite interesting to watch.

* * *

For once in his life, Tyler pays attention to the electricity between all of them. A circuit in motion has the constant continuation of their idiots moving, never slowing down. He becomes aware of how Delirious is comfortable around Evan, and the two do late night adventures under the stars. 

(Something that feels like jealousy crackles beneath his skin, and Tyler blames the solar atoms that will burn his skin in the warmth of day.) 

Perhaps it’s the way that Evan is magnetic. Their prankster of the group, the one most likely to nearly die several times in one night and come out completely unscathed. He does the jobs that majority of the crew won’t do, and his gravity tugs in mostly Smitty and Brian to join him. 

Eventually some of them discard their old clothes; Tyler drops his zebra pants and t-shirt to keep a fluffy coat, Marcel’s outfit changes only sometimes, and Evan…

Well. Evan. He drops the red jacket and dons a pure black bodysuit with golden buckles and a lot of pockets. It makes for an abrupt change and it allows him to be able to sneak around in the night as best he can. It earns him the nickname “Night Owl”, and he wears it like a badge of pride, but Vanoss would always be his first name. 

Marcel knows how powerful Evan and Tyler are together, and since they’re part of the original crew, he’ll usually send those two off to negotiate with other gangs and send a third member to make sure it goes okay.

The turning point for Tyler Wine is during one such meeting. As Marcel keeps to one side of Los Santos, another gang leader keeps to the other side and keeps a moral code that even Tyler and Delirious respect. 

They have to meet up for a trade so Marcel sends Evan, Tyler, and Brian to supervise. The Kingpin of LS is a pretty chill guy if you manage to stay on his good side, and luckily the way to his heart is to befriend his own members. 

It’s evident in the way they all show up at the restaurant to talk and Evan immediately lights up, hurrying forward to wrap his arms around a shorter, stocky man. “Michael!” Evan exclaims, grinning as the two immediately get to chatting with each other.

Tyler eyes up the Vagabond—Ryan Haywood, if they want to be technical—and notices how he tends to gravitate towards the Golden Boy. Just like Evan, Gavin Free tends to be their center of gravity and keeps them all together. 

“Ramsey,” Tyler greets the Kingpin. “Good to see you again.”

Geoff Ramsey is a force to behold, and with Mogar and the Vagabond backing him up it’s quite easy to see why he’s number 4 on Los Santos’s most wanted list. “Wildcat, nice to see you too! Let’s get down to business.”

Tyler (who’s a respectable number 7 on the list) nods and sits down. “Basically just needs a minor shipment of weapons to take out a smaller gang in our territory. We won’t intrude on your space, and we don’t need anyone to join us. Is that alright?”

The next booth over, the Vagabond sits with Vanoss, Mogar, Terroriser, and the Golden Boy. Since Evan’s their arsonist, he chats with Mogar—Michael Jones, who specializes in his own version of bombs and various fires. The two hit it off like a house on fire; literally and figuratively. 

Brian’s their charmer, with good looks and smooth talking. He fits in well with Gavin; both foreign, one British and the other Irish, and both smitten for two very oblivious idiots. (In Gavin’s case, he’s smitten for two others, but Brian still has his heart set on Brock.)

Tyler knows a well-knitted group when he sees one. Ramsey’s own circuit is constantly lit up and they found their own equilibrium long ago. 

As Ramsey nods and unlocks his phone to talk to someone, Tyler glances over at the other booth and watches as Gavin beams at Michael and Ryan. His entire gold attire makes him look like the sun, stardust glittering on his skin and above his eyes. 

If Gavin is the sun, then Ryan is the midnight sky and Michael is the flames keeping them going. The three are highly compatible and it makes Tyler feel, well, insignificant for a single moment.

And then he looks over at Evan, and his breath catches in his throat. 

Evan’s gold is glowing in the evening sky; specks of stars in his own patchwork of night. With how excited he is, there seems to be sparks of electricity leaping between his palms. He ruffles his black hair and throws his head back to laugh, eyes scrunched up with joy. 

There isn’t quite a word for what happens next, but when Evan looks back down and waves at Tyler with a huge grin on his face, Tyler practically feels the spark leap from his fingertips and into his own heart. 

“I can’t believe I just watched you fall in love,” Ramsey says, low and amused. “If I were Gavin, and thank god I’m not, I’d spout some ridiculous metaphor about physics and how we’re attached to each other by either gravity or stardust molecules reforming with each other from the soul.”

Tyler, caught off-guard, manages to say, “Seems like you spend enough time with him to know that.”

“Gavin’s the next heir to my throne. Of course I’d know the dumbass shit he’d say.” Ramsey rolls his eyes and slides a piece of paper across the table. “Most wanted in Los Santos, and still dumb as he can be. I feel like I just witnessed something precious, so here’s the address for the guns.” 

Tyler, tense enough that he can feel the fluff on his coat bristle, straightens in surprise. He’s taller than Ramsey but it sure doesn’t feel like it in this current moment. “Wait, that’s it?”

“That’s it.” Ramsey grins. “Dude, I just watched you fall in love with your own arsonist. There’s not a lot of things that can surprise me anymore. You deserve this.”

Next to them, they both hear the words, “CHUG! CHUG! CHUG!” and both sigh as they look over to see Michael and Evan guzzling soda like it’s their lifeblood. Brian and Gavin’s fists are in the air and the Vagabond’s recording the whole thing on Gavin’s phone. 

“I spoke too soon,” Ramsey says with all the exhausted air of a parent who’s dealt with his kids for far too long. “C’mon fuckers, it’s taco night and Jack’s cooking. I would rather not face her yelling at me if we’re late.”

All of Ramsey’s crew finishes up their dare and wave goodbye, cheerfully heading out and into the dying sunlight. Tyler just watches them leave as Evan and Brian sit down in his booth. 

“We get it?” Brian asks excitedly. Evan’s still wiping soda off his chin. “Dude, fuck yes! Marcel’s gonna be so excited. How in the world did you get it?”

Tyler looks over at Evan, black and gold with fire in his eyes and electricity in his palms, and opens his mouth to say, “We came to an understanding.”

* * *

The first Law of Thermodynamics states that energy cannot be destroyed nor created, it can only change forms. 

Everyone knows this. It’s one of the simplest concepts to ever comprehend and learn. It also means that Tyler knows the exact moment he falls in love because there’s a shift in his energy and thoughts towards Evan. 

His platonic love has changed form; now he dreams about owl wings and flames. Thermodynamics deal with heat and energy and Tyler feels the exhilaration in his veins when he joins Evan for jobs. 

It’s in the constant procedure of bringing back food for the crew and knowing everyone’s orders when he goes with Brock. It’s the automatic way he’ll throw something over to Evan and he’ll immediately catch it without even looking up. 

A couple of weeks after seeing Ramsey, Tyler’s on the couch with Delirious and Marcel. They’re all watching Wipeout and howls of laughter keep echoing down the halls of their penthouse. 

The elevator dings and Evan steps through; he’s got three bags of food in his arms and one strapped to his utility belt. He tosses one to everyone on the couch and casually mentions, “I saw Ramsey and the Golden Boy today.”

“Oh nice,” Marcel says distantly. Delirious looks up at Evan and grins, making the clown makeup tug upwards in a huge smile. “Has the list changed?”

Evan tugs his phone out of his pocket and scrolls through it, humming thoughtfully. “Nope. You’re still number 3.”

The top ten most wanted of Los Santos was a list they all strived to be on. Only four members of the BBS were on the list; the lowest was Tyler at number 7.

Delirious, number 3 for the third year running, curses angrily and throws his hands into the air. “How the fuck are they still beating me?! I’m terrifying at my job! I’m good at what I do! I strike fear into the hearts of everyone!”

“You also bought a kid some food the other day, Delly,” Evan reminds him. “You’re not mean to children and people who don’t deserve it.”

“Plus, Ryan and Gavin built their reputations in other cities and then came here.” Marcel finally looks over at them. “How the fuck is Evan still higher than me?”

Evan, happy at number 5, beams at Marcel who’s still at number 6. “The cops hate me more! I’m just an ass to them so I’m higher.”

“I hate you,” Marcel says, no venom in his voice. “I do my fucking best to be on that list!”

“Lui’s number 12 on the list,” Nogla offers as he walks in with said sniper by his side. “That other guy from the Fake AH Crew that doesn’t show up anymore is still number 11.”

“Ray’s still going strong, dude!” Smitty looks up from where he’s sprawled on the floor. “Cool guy, met him once. Gavin still number 1?”

There’s a varied grumble of agreements and Evan just laughs loudly. “Of course he is.”

Evan stands next to Tyler and smiles at him. There’s a nervous energy in his eyes that Tyler understands, so he gets up and mumbles something inaudible. Marcel waves them out and the two go to get Brock. 

On the top of Mt. Chiliad, there’s a stash of fireworks that Evan and Michael had put up there a while ago. It was a great stress reliever for the trio so Brock goes to bring one of their truck’s around. The BBS kept a few old cars to throw off their trail; Evan gets passenger while Tyler goes to lay in the back of the truck, eyes closed as the tailgate gets slammed and Brock starts the engine. 

The road up the mountain is long and moderately bumpy. Tyler refuses to admit he almost fell out a few times on the drive up.

When they park, Evan’s the first out. He’s like a lightning bolt; jittery and crackling with energy. He hurries to their spot and yanks out the box full of explosives. Tyler observes how fidgety his hands are, slightly shaking as he brings out the same golden lighter from oh-so-long ago. 

“He’s nervous,” Brock murmurs from next to Tyler. “What spooked him?”

Nothing scares Vanoss. It’s not something that happens often. He’s parachuted from the top of Maze Bank, he’s jumped out of helicopters and fought plenty of people and did stupid missions like break into the LSPD just to get Smitty out. 

This was new. A side of Evan Fong they had never seen before. 

But energy changes and cannot be created or even destroyed so they both know that this has most definitely happened to their arsonist before. 

“Evan?” Brock calls out, soft and kind in the setting sun. “Is everything alright?”

“Yeah!” Evan responds back, looking down at his rigging. “It’s. Uh. It’s our anniversary.”

Brock and Tyler look at each other with eyes wide. He’s right; it’s been four years since the trio had blown up their first warehouse and staked a claim in their part of the empire. Four years since Evan and Brock had approached Wildcat, the man brutal enough to be named along with Delirious, and asked for his help to become permanent in the city. 

“It is,” Tyler says, and finds himself smiling. “Who knew we were gonna end up like this?”

“So no one told you life was gonna be this way?” Evan asks, and grins when Brock enthusiastically claps along. “Thanks, Brock, you’ve always got my back with that.”

The sun dips even further and at that, Evan seems to grow serious. “But I’ve got something to tell you. Back then, you invited us into your home after we blew up the warehouse. Do you remember that?”

Barely, if Tyler’s being honest. But he can remember the way that both Evan and Tyler had let Brock take the guest bedroom and Tyler had pushed his dog Kino out of the way and cleaned off the couch for Evan to sleep on. 

“Sorta,” Tyler says uncertainly. “Where’s this going?”

Evan finally starts pacing back and forth, looking at the sky. “We were all exhausted. Brock was asleep. You sat on your balcony and I joined you for about an hour. We talked about why we were doing this whole thing and I was fascinated by your reason because it wasn’t for money or for fame.”

Tyler gives a small shrug and Brock’s gaze sharpens. He must’ve figured it out. “I said I did this because my mom was an ass and I just really wanted to help my dogs.”

“EXACTLY! And it was such a small reason, something that anyone would’ve overlooked, but you still won’t tell Marcel why you became Wildcat. You let everyone else guess, but you told me and Brock. That really means a lot to me, Tyler.” Evan breathes. “I gave you a hug. You awkwardly patted my back, and it was all over from there.”

_Wait. What._

Brock puts his hand to his mouth and takes a few steps back. “Holy crap.” 

“There was a meteor shower,” Evan pulls out his lighter again. “You patted my back, saved your dogs, and I fell in love with you in front of the stars and the night sky.”

Gravity is a constant with different weights on all the planets of the solar system, but for several long seconds Tyler really believes that he’s weightless because the ground rocks beneath his feet. 

Above them, a streak of light travels across the sky. Tyler’s head spins as he looks up and watches this year’s meteor shower flash across the heavens. On top of Chiliad, they could touch the stars. 

Tyler chooses to reach the sky by crossing the distance between himself and Evan, who’s lighting the fuses. As several rocket into the atmosphere, Evan looks up and freezes. “What—"

When they kiss, electricity crackles across their lips. Evan’s arms reach out to interlock around Tyler’s neck and they both stay like that for an incredibly long time. 

Brock, who’s been waiting for this for about a year now, just settles back and takes a quick picture. He lucks out; the flash is off and the fireworks are bright enough to capture their silhouettes painted in the sky.

To watch your oldest friends fall in love with each other is genuinely enjoyable. Brock knows that Tyler’s been wanting love and affection, and he knows Evan so incredibly well that he immediately recognized him as love-sick. 

Tomorrow, Scotty would have to own up and ask Marcel out since Evan had actually done it. Smitty and Brian would win their bet, and Nogla would probably cry about it for two minutes before tackling down both Evan and Tyler. 

Brock sends the picture and looks down at the responding message. 

Brian: no shittin way 

Brock: He sure did! And on our anniversary of befriending Tyler too, what a sap. I’m so proud of him. 

Brian: I hate to admit it but Ev’s got game 

Brian: so when are we gonna tell them that we’ve been dating for a long ass time 

Brock: I’m sure the bets are still going around. Right now, Marcel thinks he’s winning because he bet on us getting together in about a year or two. Don’t tell him that Evan already won. :) 

Brian: can’t believe I’m dating a dangerous criminal 

Brian: love ya <3 

Brock: Love you more Brian. <3 

* * *

The very first Law of Motion states that a body at rest tends to stay at rest, and a body in motion tends to stay in motion unless acted upon by a force.

Tyler knows this to be true when he comes home exhausted, shedding his clothes like a present and stepping into the shower. The water runs cold for a few minutes until it’s warm enough and he sighs in relief as it relaxes his tense muscles. 

The bathroom door opens and closes. Tyler shuts his eyes and tries not to smile as the shower curtain gets pushed aside and Evan steps in with a hum of hello. 

“Welcome home,” Evan says into the shower spray. “How was your trip?”

This is something they do often; pretend that they live a normal life, if that was somehow possible. Tyler opens his eyes and looks down at Evan; his love is covered in gunpowder and there’s a few gashes on his cheek. His lip’s slightly split and there’s the makings of a black eye forming around his left eye.

He’s the most beautiful person Tyler’s ever seen. 

Evan lifts his hand; his fingernails are choked with dirt and the gold nail polish Brian had applied a few days ago is chipped. Tyler huffs out a laugh and runs the hand under the water. “My trip was fine, actually. Marcel was a bitch as usual, but Scotty managed to sweep him off his stupid feet in front of our meeting.”

Evan laughs, bright and loud, and Tyler presses a kiss to his dirty hair. “And your trip?”

“Dangerous and fun,” Vanoss winks, gently moving Wildcat aside to let the shower hit him. Sharing a shower is an experience one has to learn and practice, honestly. “But that’s all my trips, love.”

“It sure is,” Tyler grumbles. “Brian’s going to kill you for messing up the polish.” 

Evan shrugs, an offhand movement that makes him wince a bit. “Wouldn’t be worse than what they did to us.”

Tyler’s gaze sharpens. “Is Smitty okay?”

“He’s fine, just resting after being patched up by Mama Brock. John’s watching over him.” Evan exhales. “It almost went bad, but I somehow managed to body check the guy away from him. Not sure how I did it, but I’m not complaining. We’re all good.”

(Later on, when asked by Tyler and Marcel, Smitty would recount their mission and say that it looked like Evan had sprouted wings to save him. _“He looked like a fucking owl, honestly,”_ Smitty would answer. _“Vanoss was screaming at them to let me go and then there were owl wings and he flew over to save me. It was…well, really cool.”_

A pizza would be ordered and left in front of Evan’s room, fully paid for by John as his way of saying, _Thank you for keeping him safe.)_

It makes sense; the body check would be the reason why Evan’s sore. Tyler grabs the 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner and works on Evan’s hair, making sure it was fully soaped up before he runs it through the water. 

By the end of it all, they’re both clean and relaxed. Tyler gets out first, grabbing a towel to wrap it around his waist. He helps Evan out and they both dry off. Evan ruffles his hair with a hand towel and heads on out to the kitchen of their penthouse. 

Tyler feels the moment he’s in his resting state. Unless something important urged him to get into motion, he would be stagnant for the next couple of hours. 

Evan knows this to be true when he feels his boyfriend immediately slump on him; he tries not to laugh, but it’s very funny to have a 6’4’’ giant use you as his personal pillow. Very few people could actually drag Tyler places; Evan, of course, is one, and Anthony is a surprising second. 

Panda’s in the living room when Evan comes in while dragging Tyler. “Need any help?”

“A bit,” Evan puffs. “Injuries still healing.” 

Anthony rolls his eyes and goes to support the majority of Wildcat’s weight. “Dumbass. I got you guys some Chinese by the way, should be cooling down.” He nods his head at the two boxes on the table and helps settle Tyler on the couch.

Of course, as Tyler is a big baby, he just grunts and flops on the cushions. Evan merely lifts his legs and sits down, placing them on his lap. Anthony looks at them and smiles. They’re the epitome of lazy and calm; their energy has compiled into potential and not kinetic, calming down after their missions. 

They deserve a break, so Anthony gives them a two-fingered salute and heads off to go bother Brian or Marcel. Whoever he saw first, really. 

Evan and Tyler, two perfect constants in each other’s life. Evan looks over at Tyler’s relaxed face and feels his heart flutter. “You keep me grounded,” Evan whispers to him. “Do you think we were fated by like, stardust or something?”

Tyler snorts, and then actually laughs when he remembers Ramsey’s conversation about the Golden Boy. “Maybe. Who knows, honestly? But you keep me afloat with all your dumbass height stunts and jumping off buildings.”

Evan shrugs. “I like the adrenaline rush. It’s nice.”

The atmosphere settles into something calm and soothing. Evan leans over to curl up next to Tyler, and both of them allow the ceiling fan to lull them to sleep with the promise of food when they wake.

Later, they’ll awaken to find their Chinese food reheated because Brock’s a good person, and Marcel will be screaming and yelling because he lost his bet a very long time ago. Evan will cheer that he’s a champion and Lui will pay him with a huge smile on his face.

Brock will blush, Brian will beam proudly, and Tyler will roll his eyes but gaze fondly at their beloved Night Owl. 

For now, they sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> I was always better at physics than chemistry and biology :’) 
> 
> this is also partly in honor of my dumbass friends because we’re all a mix of majors and it starts like the sound of a bad joke: a social work/psychology major, a bio/chem major, two psychology majors, and a sociology major walk into a bar. everyone’s an idiot. 
> 
> I also bought Avengers Endgame tickets at 6:45 am, so that’s how my life’s going right now.


End file.
